Duron Harmon Explains Why Being Bad At Basketball Has Made Patrick Chung A Great Tackler

BOSTON (CBS) — Patriots safety Patrick Chung has turned into one of the team’s best tacklers, a heavy-hitter that Bill Belichick can count on in the New England secondary.

His 22 total tackles for the season rank fourth on the team, an impressive figure considering Chung missed roughly a game-and-a-half due to a concussion. Chung is a pretty big dude, no stranger to the weight room. But fellow New England safety Duron Harmon thinks he knows why Chung is so jacked, and why he is such a good tackler: Chung is not very good at basketball.

In a sitdown interview with WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton, Harmon revealed that there is a basketball hoop in the safety’s workroom inside Gillette Stadium. It’s not just for fun and games though, as the hoop is a great way for New England defensive backs to keep their competitiveness flowing during downtime.

“When we get time, we’re shooting. We’re shooting for push ups,” explained Harmon. “You kind of just call out somebody and we roll shot for shot. If he misses and I make, he owes me five push ups.

“Someone is going to do those push ups,” Harmon said with a smirk. “One way or another, someone is going to do push ups.”

That someone is usually Patrick Chung. But as Harmon explains, it helps with his tackling ability on the field.

“He does a lot of things well; A LOT of things well. I have to say shooting is not one of his biggest strengths. But other than that, he’s very, very good at everything else,” laughed Harmon. “You can see the way he tackled [against the Colts] that he’s a strong guy, probably from all those push ups.”

Chung had 11 total tackles in New England’s 38-24 win over the Colts on Thursday night, his highest total of the season.

While the shooting contests are a fun way to keep things competitive in the safety’s room, Harmon said it also speaks to togetherness of the unit.

“It shows not only the camaraderie that we have and the tightness, but shows that we’re always competing no matter what,” said Harmon. “You can only do that with guys you truly enjoy being around. It’s a brotherhood we have. I have their back and they have my back.”

WBZ-TV will have Sunday night’s Patriots-Chiefs clash covered, starting at 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay! After the game be sure to switch to WBZ-TV for full reaction and analysis, plus Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s press conferences LIVE, on Patriots 5th Quarter!